Thunderbolts and Lightning
by EphemeralxEternity
Summary: The sky was momentarily lit up. James pulled away to look down at the red headed girl in his arms. Lily looked up at the man that held her. Raindrops fell lighter now, over their bodies. Written for the Thunderstorm Romance Challenge, Lily/James.


Title: **Thunderbolts and Lightning**  
Category: Books » Harry Potter  
Author: EphemeralxEternity  
Language: English, Rating: Rated: T  
Genre: Romance/Humor  
Published: 08-17-09, Updated: 08-17-09  
Chapters: 1, Words: 8,320

**Chapter 1: Chapter 1**

**Thunderbolts and Lighning **by EphemeralxEternity

_Written for the "Thunderstorm Romance Challenge" by __**imdeadsothere**__ from the Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenge forum. _

**Prompt**: Two characters must fall in love during a thunderstorm. Interpret this phrase however you like.

**Pairing**_**:**_ Lily Evans and James Potter.

_**DISCLAIMER: **_I do not own anything. James, Lily, the Marauders, Hogwarts, the Room of Requirements, the lake or even the squid. Yeah, all that – and probably some more I may have missed – goes to JK Rowling. You know that. Enjoy the fruits of my imagination.

* * *

The sky was overcast and it was clearly going to rain.

James Potter descended from his broom and ran a hand through his hair, contemplating the possibility of a stormy match. He held the quaffle in the crook of his elbow and his broom in his left hand, making his way towards the locker room. He looked up into the stands and noted that his best friend, Sirius Black, was lounging on the bleachers as three doe-eyed girls surrounded him.

_Unbelievable. _

Sirius caught James' eyes through a lock of his own hair that had been swept sideways by the wind and winked conspiratorially. He smiled the signature Sirirus Black smile. James shook his head and chuckled, opened the door to the locker rooms, and walked in.

Ten minutes later, he reappeared freshly showered. He patted the top of his head repeatedly. Even when it was wet, his hair refused to lie flat. Sighing, he quit his ministrations and tousled it nonchalantly. He climbed up the bleachers and nodded his head towards Sirius while greeting the group.

"Hello ladies," He grinned down at them as he stood, leaning on a post. They welcomed him enthusiastically. Sirius smirked. "I wonder, can I steal Sirius away from you three for a little while?"

Words of protest were flirtatiously thrown at both boys.

"Aww, James, why don't you join us?"  
"Sirius Black, you had better return later."  
"Here, why don't you take a seat James? We'll scoot over."

Sirius stood up, laughing as he did so. He lightly touched the shoulder of the girl closest to him. She looked triumphantly at her friends, giving James a hard time in keeping a polite smile in check for fear of bursting into laughter. How obsessed these girls were!

"I'm afraid that this time I have to go with James," Sirius began. "But I will see you all later. Right?"

James tried to subtly roll his eyes, but failed. Sirius worked his magic over the three girls – so to speak. As James rocked on his heels, a hand in his pocket, he said nothing as Sirius fended off the various reasons for him to stay.

James waved a hand at the girls left sitting, surprisingly complacently, on the bleachers. He turned to walk back towards the castle. Sirius joined him midstride. He had quite a devilish smile on his face and he lightly punched James's shoulder. James returned the favor non too lightly.

"Bloody hell, Sirius!" James laughingly shouted once they were out of earshot. The edge of the lake was visible in the distance. "Three? Honestly, I'm starting to think that's the only reason you come to my practices."

Sirius held up his hand and feigned a hurt expression.

"Prongs, you truly believe I'm not there to support you? You should know better than that." He grinned wickedly. "And actually it was five, but the other two had to go to detention." He paused thoughtfully. "Mmm, I do love me a bad girl."

Both boys shared a loud laugh.

The black depths of the lake were now within reach as they walked along its banks. The breeze shook the water, sloshing it against the edge, and rippled the smooth surface. An occasional tree lined the shores and students usually took refuge beneath its green leaves during sunny days.

Today however, the grim grey of the sky kept most of them indoors. Nevertheless, the grounds were sparsely littered with students. One of whom, sitting beneath a large oak tree not 200 meters away with a plethora of books around her, caught their attention. Exchanging a look, they changed routes and headed towards the girl with the auburn hair.

Once they were near her, James wolf-whistled. She glanced up but otherwise ignored them, though her calm demeanor was slightly marred by the newly formed crease in her brow.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here, Sirius," James announced coming to a stop in front of her. "Lovely Lily Evans. Studying, of all things! Tell me something Sirius, do you think that you could study too much?" He took a few books from her pile, pretending to be thoughtfully reading the titles.

Now she acknowledged their presence. Annoyed, she looked James square in the eye, glowered at him, then returned to her book.

"Why, yes, James, I believe there is," Sirius replied, playing along.

"Evans, why are you working your pretty little head off? It's a Saturday and you could be doing a lot of other fun things," James carelessly put one of the smaller books on a branch overhead. "Like, for example, me?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively, leaning towards her.

She rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Anything I would have to do with you, Potter, would be torture of the cruelest nature." Lily snapped at him without looking up.

"Oh, well you're a kinky one aren't you?" He winked at Sirius, who had an amused smile on his face. James enjoyed riling her up.

Now she was angry. He had pestered her for a while now and was sick of it. She closed the book she was reading with a slap and stood.

"Potter, why don't you and your little friend just get the bloody hell lost? Ooh, or better yet, go swim with the squid. I hear it has a thing for pig-headed boys," she retorted. "Maybe I'll get lucky and you two will stay there."

"My, my, my," James furrowed his brow in condescension and put the rest of the books back down near her. "That's quite a mouth you have on you. Maybe Sirius and I will just have to sort you out."

"Oh, sod off you conceited waste of space." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Ah-ah-ah, language Ms. Evans," James calmly said as he playfully wagged his finger at her.

Sirius just shook his head lightly. He was a spectator to the James and Lily show and preferred to stay that way. The girl knew a surprising number of hexes. Deciding to leave his friend to the irritated witch, he spoke.

"I would love to stay and chat, but I've got an appointment with the dungeons," he paused. "It turns out that setting Snivellus's robes on fire doesn't count for a grade in Charms. Pity."

James tilted his head in laughter towards Sirius, who jauntily saluted the pair of them and briskly began jogging up towards the castle gates. Lily and James watched him momentarily before facing each other, their faces bearing opposite sentiments.

Lily wore her resentment and annoyance in a scowl upon her face. Her startling green eyes seemed to glow and with the wind teasing her fiery hair in every which way, she was a flame of fury. James regarded her coolly. He seemed quite unruffled and at ease.

Taking a step towards her, he placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke softly. "Well, Lily, I guess it's just you and me now." His voice had suddenly dropped in pitch, sounding much more mature and pleasant.

She shrugged his hand off and stepped backwards, her scowl still in place. "In your dreams, Potter."

"C'mon Lily, one date," He held up a finger. "One date and I'll leave you alone." He attempted to charm her with his dimpled grin.

She laughed loudly, a scathing single syllable exclamation. "Oh, I highly doubt that you would!"

Against all odds, James took this as a good sign and advanced towards her. "You'll never know will you?" He dipped his head to catch her eye.

She looked at him. Her jaw was set and there was a steely glint to her green eyes. "And I intend to keep it that way, too," she hissed.

Lily Evans scooped up her belongings from the ground. Casting one last disdainful look at James, who bowed with a flourish in return, she stalked away. Bespectacled hazel eyes beneath a shock of untidy jet black hair and the distant rumble of thunder followed her leave.

James stood beneath the tree a moment. Dazed. Amazed. Enchanted as he was with the witch that so plainly disliked – no, that would be putting it lightly, it was more like hated – him, he couldn't help but marvel at the fact that she still refused his affections. But he had convinced himself long ago that with persistence, he was bound to find a crack in her armor.

The sky darkened dramatically, accompanied with the harsh cacophony of thunder. The sun was nowhere to be seen, but a faint line of orange on the horizon hinted of its departure. The wind picked up, shaking the leaves on the trees and causing the grass to shiver. The few students that remained outside looked upwards and then rushed inside to the safety of the castle.

James sighed and followed suit, shoving his hands in his pockets once more and kicking a pebble as he walked at a leisurely pace. Lightening lit up the sky and the first few raindrops fell heavily onto the earth. He didn't care.

**xxxxx**

Dripping wet and tired from Quidditch and his banter with Lily, James entered the Gryffindor common room. It was fairly empty, save for a couple of students in the corner tables. Most of them had gone down to the Great Hall for dinner. Remus Lupin looked up from the potions essay he was writing. He glanced up, smiling as his friend dripped his way towards the fire.

James shook out the water from his hair and peeled off his sweater, draping it over the mantle to dry. He sat, soaking in his t-shirt and slacks and held his palms up towards the flames.

Bemused and amused, Remus sat next to him, drawing his knees beneath his chin. "And just what happened to you? You looked like somebody pushed you into the lake." His voice mirrored his smile.

James pointed out the window, towards the weather. "That's what happened to me, but yeah, she was pretty close to doing that, I reckon." He snorted.

"'She'?"

"Lily."

"Ah." He understood immediately. Remus watched James's face out of the corner of his eyes. James stared intently into the fire, unmoving. Few people would believe the honesty of James's fondness for Lily. And even fewer could fathom its depths. Remus knew he was the only one who realized both things to be infinite. Irrational as it was, it was there and it existed. James didn't seem to know how to show her his affections without seeming like a prick. And Remus didn't know how to help James along, but he knew that Sirius's tactics would get his friend nowhere.

Lily wasn't easily charmed by a smile and a compliment. And the occasional raunchy comment would most likely cause his friend excruciating pain. No, of all the things he knew, Remus knew that about Lily Evans. She wasn't fazed by flirtations.

Least of all James's.

Clearing his throat, Remus spoke cautiously. "Why do you keep annoying her then?"

James let out a scornful laugh. "You think she'll pay any attention to me if I did something different?" He brushed his hair back over his head and took off his glasses, wiping it on the corner of his shirt. Deciding himself to be respectably dry, he stood and smiled. "Hey Moony, wanna get some dinner?"

**xxxxx**

The ceiling in the great hall was frightening, to say the least. Black clouds had rolled in. Thunderclouds, heavy with the artillery of rain, thunder and lightning that never touched the students dining beneath it. The real rain outside pelted the windows, creating a din above the usual dinner noise. Occasional shocks of lightening and booms of thunder made the occasional student jump in their seats, then laugh at their surprise.

Hogwarts students sat safely within the confines of the Great Hall, chatting with one another in between forking in mouthfuls of perfectly roasted chicken, roasted lamb, pork chops glistening with sauce, grilled potatoes seasoned lightly with rosemary, sausage rolls, bacon strips, steamed carrots and peas, or mashed potatoes and gravy.

Wedged between Remus and Peter Pettigrew, James scanned the length of the table, searching for the girl with the auburn hair. He found her sitting with her group of friends, laughing and smiling.

Her eyes caught his and he grinned at her. Her smile changed into a something short of a grimace. She looked away. James smirked to himself and stuffed a forkful of roast chicken and potatoes into his mouth.

Sirius planted himself in front of James, just back from detention, and caught the little interlude.

"So I take it you didn't get pretty Ms. Evans to kiss you earlier?" He threw a pea at James's head before grinning and scarfing down his food. Remus smirked into his plate and Peter gazed avidly between James and Sirius. "I assumed that _was_ the plan?" Sirius said between mouthfuls of pork chops. He aimed a sly look at James.

"Hey, cool it," James replied, brushing off the stray vegetable. "And there is no plan. These relationship things take dedication." He pointed his fork in Lily's general direction. "She's like a fine wine. Better with time. There's no need for me to rush her, Sirius, because we all know that eventually she'll succumb to my wit and charming good looks."

"Yes," Remus said with his eyes downcast, focused on his piece of apple pie. He always was the fastest eater out of all of them. The beginnings of a smile grew on his lips as he said lowly. "And I'm a harmless little puppy."

Lightning accentuated his sentence like the drums to the punch line of a joke and the few that understood the meaning of his sentence roared with laughter above the clapping thunder.

James glanced over towards Lily. She seemed to be piqued and looked towards the source of the mirth. Once again their eyes met. _Arrogant toerag, _the emerald ones seemed to say. Apparently disgusted, she stood, slinging her bag over her shoulder and picking up the remainder of her books in her arms. She left the great hall alone.

James hastily shoved down the remainder of his chicken and gulped the last of his pumpkin juice. He wiped his mouth on his hand and scrambled out of his seat. He quickly made his way down the aisle.

"Oy, where you going?" Remus called after him.

James pointed at the door with a tilt of his head. "I've got a hot date waiting for me! Cheers, fellas!" he shouted back with a wave. He ran down the Hall and out the door.

"Honestly," Sirius sulked. "One day he's going to completely ditch us to stalk Lily Evans. I don't even see the appeal!"

Remus wore a surprised look on his brow. "Oh? Red hair, green eyes, slender and curvy? Not to mention smart and she can hold her own in a wizards duel? Yeah, you're right Padfoot, I don't see why James is obsessed with her either."

Sirius brushed the comment off with a dismissive wave of his hand as he drank from his cup.

**xxxxx**

"Lily. Lily! Oy! EVANS! Slow down will you!"

Lily looked over her shoulder. She didn't really need to. His voice was easy to recognize after years of continuous banter. The sight of the boy trailing helplessly after her made her grin. She admired his perseverance, though she would never admit it out loud. Picking up her pace, the auburn haired girl tossed a few words to the boy behind her.

"Sorry, homework to do." She made a sharp left turn, trotting up the stairs to the library. "Actually, I'm not sorry at all." She muttered under her breath with a chuckle.

James sprinted and fell into step beside her. "Well then allow me to accompany you." He took the books from her arms. They were a lot heavier than he thought they would be and he almost stumbled because of it. Almost.

She tried to pry them out of his hands. "That won't be necessary."

He twisted his body to keep the tomes out of her reach.

"Nonsense, Evans. These books weigh a ton. And I'm heading up there myself. Do yourself a favor and let me hold these before you dislocate a shoulder or something." He looked amused at her chagrined expression. "Besides," he added as an afterthought. "I'm headed up there myself."

"Yes, you said that already," Lily relented, truly surprised. He wasn't going to give up, was he? Persistent, she'd give him that, _but wait, did he say _-

"The library? You're going to the library?"

"Yes mademoiselle, if that is where you're going."

"Interesting," She murmured thoughtfully. James felt a swelling in his chest, a hot air balloon of pride. "I didn't know you could read, Potter." He deflated. Time for a different tactic.

"Darling, there are plenty of things you don't know about me," he winked at her.

She rolled her eyes and chose to ignore him the rest of the way up.

James was inwardly ecstatic with this new development. For the first time in history, she was able to stay within arms length of him without bombarding him with endless insults or swears. And as the cherry on top, it had been exactly 156 seconds. That was 2 minutes and 36 seconds. A world record, surely…

Lily made sure to keep slightly ahead of James. Every time he caught up with her she would frown and walk faster. Clearly, she didn't seem to want anybody to get the wrong impression about them. And with James holding her books easily in his arms (when she wasn't looking, his face showed their true weight) it was easy to consider them – Lily felt a strange tingle down her spine – as a couple.

Their shadows followed them through the lantern lit hallways which were almost completely empty, for most of the inhabitants were sitting comfortably in the Hall, having dinner. The sound of footsteps echoed off the stone walls, a steady soundtrack in time with their strides.

James didn't mind. He was relishing any time spent in near Lily Evans. And he didn't mind having to walk one step behind her either. _All the better to __**see**__ you, my dear._ Her form really was so much more enticing when she walked. Not that it wasn't when she was still, but that was a completely different story. Her voice cut into his fiendish musings.

"Ok, we're here." She grabbed the books from his hands before he could protest. She grudgingly thanked him and sped away as fast as was humanly possible.

Slightly shell-shocked from her abrupt disappearance he wheeled around on his foot, wondering where she had gone. Seeing a bobbing red head in the corner of the library, he sauntered in her direction.

Lily was unpacking her things on the wide table. Her heavy books were in a straight pile near the corner of the table. Her papers, in a short stack beside the books. She neatly placed her quill on top of the stack of papers and began to rummage furiously through her bag. With her hair falling over her face, obscuring James from her view, she swore under her breath.

"Ms. Evans, what did we say about that language?" James teasingly implored, his hands open like a professor's.

Annoyance and irritation met his smiling gaze.

James walked around and sat on a comfy arm chair behind her by the window. He kicked his feet up onto the foot stand and tucked his hands behind his head. Rolling her eyes –_She seems to do that a lot, _James noted – and turning her back on him, Lily returned to ransack her school bag. Suddenly, her searching became all the more desperate.

She turned her bag upside down, dumping the contents onto the table. Sifting swiftly through the items, she let out a gust of air, a sound of frustration, before tangling her hands in her hair and crying out.

"It's not here!" Lily exclaimed. The librarian, a thin old lady with a pointed face and her silver hair twisted tight into a fierce bun, poked her head into their corner and loudly told them to keep it quiet. She glared at James and smartly told him to put his feet down and to respect school property before giving Lily an equally angry look. When the librarian had walked a safe enough distance, James stood behind Lily, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder and inwardly hoping that she wouldn't jinx him too permanently.

"What's not there?" He whispered. He didn't want a beating from the stern librarian.

Lily was too disconcerted to realize his hand on her shoulder. She didn't even seem to register that it was James Potter she was talking to. She flung her hands into the air.

"My journal," She whispered back loudly. "I always keep it with me and now it's gone!"

Outside, there was lightning. Thunder. Rain.

Her eyes darted across her belongings, strewn haphazardly across the table. She clawed at her bag and scoured it one more time.

"No," she wailed sadly. "It really is gone!"

Lily sat, quite defeated, on the bench adjoining the table. Her hands were strangely still in her lap. Her eyes seemed vacant, but her face was fallen. The slump of her shoulders betrayed her misery.

James ran his hand through his hair and looked from her to the direction the librarian had come from. He abruptly froze. A thought had just occurred to him.

"Lily," he began, slow and calm. "What color was your journal?"

Still gazing sadly at her things, she replied, "Dark green."

"With white curly decorations on it?"

"… Yes," Lily looked up at James, whose eyes were wide and whose hand was had stopped midway through his hair. "How did you know?"

"Shit," James whispered. He closed his eyes and he smacked his head.

"What?"

He gulped. How to tell her that he was a dunce, as she had repeatedly told him?

"Well, um, now before you get mad – "

Lily stood. She faced him. Her fiery eyed stare was back.

_Oh, boy._

"Potter, what did you do?!" She hissed. The deafening crack of thunder outside imitated her fury.

"Calm down!" He raised both hands in front of him to appease her. "We're in a library, Lily."

She punched his chest. _Ouch, she's stronger than she looks._ He crumpled slightly.

"I don't care, you idiot!" She was in full attack mode. "What the hell did you do with my journal?!"

"I'll fix it!" He cowered. Lily Evans truly was frightening when she was angry. James had never seen her as ballistic as this before and having been the main source of her irritation for the past 7 years, he thought he had seen all the facets of her fury. Clearly, not.

"And just what the devil are you going to fix?!" She whispered angrily.

James backtracked and stepped away from her.

_Better to be safe than sorry._

"I'll find it," he promised. "It can't have gone very far." There was a shock of light outside and a boom. "Just stay put. I'll be right back, Lil."

Before she could open her mouth and protest, James sprinted out of the library.

"Young man, no running in the halls!"

"Sorry Professor Kettleburns! Emergency!" James called backwards over his shoulder.

Running down the halls with only his thoughts as company, anxiety squeezed his stomach.

_If she didn't hate me before, she's going to completely hate me now. Dammit, why did I have to bother her earlier?_

James remembered, suddenly very vividly the book he held in his hand this afternoon. It was small, slightly bigger than his palm and very prettily decorated with silver flourishes and embossments. He had turned it over in his hand. Deciding to hold it hostage and ransom it for a kiss, he remembered that he'd tucked it into the curve of the branch right above his head.

_Stupid git._

He slid into the space between banisters and hid himself from view. Two professors ambled down the stairs, arguing about the accuracy of the Daily Prophet's latest scandal.

_You should have just given it back to her. From now on, you leave her alone._

… _Ha fucking ha. Right. Like that'll ever happen. _

Once it was safe, James slipped through the group of 4th year Ravenclaws just leaving the Great Hall and out the castle doors.

The first thing he registered was the wind.

The rain fell down in an angle, blown by the savage storm. Taking in a deep breath, James ventured out from beneath the alcove of the doorway. His face and hair were attacked first. Sprinting as fast as he could towards the tree by the lake, he became fully soaked for the second time that night. The sky was pitch black and stormy, tempestuous and unforgiving.

_I'm such an idiot,_ James thought.

"Lumos!" The tip of his wand emitted a soft glow, only just lighting up his way.

Water was splattering against his face and he had to continuously wipe the drops from his glasses to see. The sky was momentarily bright with the shine of lightning. The vociferous roar of thunder followed immediately after.

The wind was whipping the branches of the tree forward and backwards in a frenzied dance. Its leaves went flying. Once James had reached the trunk of the tree he ran his hands over the branches, searching for the elusive journal.

"James!" _**CRACK**__. __**BOOM**__. _Was someone calling him? Who cares? He had to find the damn journal or he'd be fed to the squid. In pieces.

It wasn't there. _SHIT!_

"No, no, no," James muttered. "Please be here, please be here."

He ran to the other side of the tree. Perhaps that was where Lily had sat? He looked up. None of the branches were within arm length. He searched the patch of grass beneath the tree, down on his hands and knees, looking for a sign. Any sign.

_There!_ A corner had been torn off a page and had snagged itself between the gnarled roots. He held it to his face, bringing his wand close.

… _cute. Surprisingly today he …  
… so infuriating! But…_

That was all he could make out. It was written in Lily's neat, sloped handwriting.

"James!" Speaking of Lily, he had begun to imagine her calling him.

_Get a grip, you fool. Just find the journal, return it, and walk respectfully out of her life before she remembers you as the loser that vandalized her belongings. And harassed her for two years._

He stood up. He stuffed the scrap of paper into his pocket.

_**CRACK**__. Lightning_. _**BOOM**__. Thunder_.

"JAMES!" _Ok, now that's too loud to be my imagination._ James wheeled around. Lily was running towards him at full speed. Her red hair was darkened and flattened by the rain and wind. Strands of it plastered itself on her face. Her blouse had also soaked through and he could see… His eyes shot up.

_Focus on her eyes. Focus on her eyes._

Lily stood close to him under the tree and wiped her face. She shivered visibly in the storm. She opened her mouth.

_**Lightning. Thunder.**_

"What?" James hollered. "I can't hear you!"

"I said," Lily hollered back. "What are you doing out here?"

James looked guilty. His eyes were squinty and he was rocking on the balls of his feet. Looking anywhere but at Lily, he told her what he did in between the clamor of thunder and lightning.

"… and now I can't find it," he concluded. He dug a hand into his pocket and took out the paper. "But I found this. I don't know if it'll do any good." He handed her the paper.

She pulled his hand closer to light up the paper. Lily read the paper. He could see her blush furiously from the roots of her hair down to her chin, despite the chill.

_**Lightning**_.

James could see something silver in the corner of this eye. He spun around. A small book lay abandoned on the ground about 15 meters away; its pages flew open by the force of the wind and quickly became soaked. The wind rolled it over, moving it closer to the edge of the lake.

_**Thunder**_.

That was it!

James dropped his wand and ran towards it.

"James! What the hell?!" Lily shouted out.

The wind laughed at his feeble attempts to rescue the journal and blew it into the lake. Without thinking, without second guessing his intentions, he dove headfirst into the lake. The icy water attacked his senses. He panicked and gulped down mouthfuls of water.

Coughing and spluttering, his head broke the surface. He craned his neck around, treading water, defying the chilly waters and the rain assailing his head. The storm was making the lake restless. Not good.

He saw the book lying flat on the surface of the water. It floated for a moment before falling into the black depths of the lake. James swam towards it, kicking his feet furiously and swinging his arms over his head, cutting the water, propelling him forwards. He reached where the book had disappeared and lunged downwards. His feet followed his body underwater. Sounds from the storm were blotted out by the freezing water in his ears.

"Potter!" Lily shrieked his name. Panic laced her voice, giving it a rough edge. "Get back here!"

_Lumos, _James thought. It remained dark. _Damn! I left my wand up there! _

He stretched his hands out, flailing in the murky waters for the book. For what seemed like an eternity he scoured the waters with his eyes tightly shut, relying on his other senses. Nothing. His lungs were screaming out in protest and precious bubbles were escaping his tightly puckered lips.

He needed air. Pushing and paddling with his limbs, quite unsynchronized, James resurfaced. His mouth gasped open, taking a deep breath of sweet, sweet air, swallowing a couple drops of water in the process. It didn't matter. He had to get that book before it sunk too deep. He dived under again.

His hands repeated the same thrashing movements, praying that they would feel something solid. Opening his eyes for a better vantage point than the black darkness of his eyelids, he realized that there was no difference. He angled his body to swim deeper into the waters, hoping to cover more ground. Blood was rushing to his brain, making an exaggerated beat in his ears, courtesy of the strange silence underwater.

A sudden undercurrent pushed him against a large rock, slamming his head against the hard surface. James let out a garbled scream of agony as a searing white pain overwhelmed him. All thought was put aside as his body went on autopilot to save what little left there was of him.

_Swim up_.

But where was up?

**xxxxx**

Lily sat by the bank in a worried frenzy. Brushing her wet hair from her face, she called out his name, her cool and calm completely lost. The girl who quite brilliantly antagonized James Potter with finesse just hours ago was nowhere to be seen. _Why does he have to be so stupid?_

A crying, shouting girl at her wits end with worry took her place. The grass and mud stained her clothes but it she didn't care. _I'm not going to be mean to him again, please just let him live. _Her eyes scanned the plane of the water, searching for his head, his hand, anything that would indicate that he was fine. Bubbles, even, would be a blessing. But the torrent of rain disturbed the waters, making it nigh impossible to see anything.

The shy moon was lost behind the fierce storm clouds bellowing out thunder and flashing out lightning. Lost. That was how she felt, sitting there, screaming his name.

She didn't hate him. Far from it. She cared about him more than she had been willing to show. He was surprisingly when he thought she wasn't looking. Why he became such a nuisance in her presence, she didn't know. But his flaunty attitude had kept her in check – she wanted to make sure that he didn't consider her as another notch to be made on his bedpost, just because she resisted him. And she didn't know why she was so mean, or so rude to him all the time, despite her feelings for him. _But now,_ she vowed, _I promise I'll be kinder, just please let him live!_

His head broke the surface. Lily's eyes followed the break in the bleakness of the lake. Her mouth opened to call him over but his head disappeared under again.

"_JAMES!"_ Her voice, devoid of serenity and bordering on hysteria, was lost on the wind.

Swimming relentlessly against the violent currents, he realized with horror that he was tired. James was oh, so tired. His arms were stiff with fatigue. They had fought the rough waters enough surely? His kicking legs faltered, slowing down. How simple and how blessed it would be to just sleep.

_Lily._

Her face. Her dark red hair. Her bright green eyes.

All those times she'd called him an arrogant toerag and all those times she didn't, but he knew that was what she was thinking anyway. And the times he'd secretly watch her smiling and laughing, completely at ease.

Especially those times when she'd look up and notice; their eyes would lock just for a second. A minute. Eternity.

He'd screwed up any chances he may have had with her with this stunt. His legs began to kick faster. He wouldn't have her think of him as the dolt who swam in the lake in a storm. His hands shot out further in front of him, combing the waters. No, for her, he'd find the damned thing.

Miraculously, he felt it. Its rough spine, ribbed with the silvery embellishments, brushed against his fingertips. Stretching out, he grabbed it in his left hand and clutched it tightly. His mouth opened in a shout of victory, marred slightly by the bitter taste of the lake water as he ascended towards the surface.

His head broke through with a gasp.

"James!" Lily. She was calling his name. Holy crap, there is a god.

His head twisted, following her voice. She was sitting on her knees near the waters' edge, leaning precariously out towards the middle of the lake. Her hand was outstretched and the water was beating against her hair, like it was against his head.

_So… tired. _His head dipped under again, causing him to swallow a mouthful of the murky water. Spluttering and choking on the water as he tried to swim towards her. James held the cursed book tightly in the palm of his left hand.

_Oh my god, he's going to die out here and - _Without thinking, she kicked off her shoes and dove into the water.

He used his right hand to boost him forwards as he struggled to keep his head safely above water. The rocking and the crashing of the waves didn't help his case much and as a result he was continuously spitting out water. But he couldn't see her on the banks of the lake anymore.

James kicked his leg one last time, his arm stretching out to touch the grassy banks before the darkness consumed him.

Lily treaded water to find him. She saw James bob up above the surface of the lake not too far from her, his arm out, before he sank beneath the surface. She pushed her way against the current and caught his hand, curling it around her, grabbing his torso as she paddled them both back to shore.

She heaved him onto the shore with a grunt before pulling herself up, adrenaline boosting her senses. He flopped onto his back. His eyes were shut, his glasses gone. Lily tried to concentrate on breathing before she let any of her emotions, fringing the outskirts of her thoughts, overtake her. Grabbing his shirt with both hands she shook him. His body responded like a rag doll. He didn't move.

"Oh god," she choked out. "James, if you're playing a prank on me now is not the time!" Her voice shook on the last word and broke.

She grabbed his wrist and tried frantically to find his pulse. A faint pulse. Anything.

The rain and wind laughed at her feeble attempts.

Placing her cheek near his opened mouth, she waited to feel a warm breath.

Nothing.

Lily glanced around the dark turbulent night miserably. There was nobody there. The bright lights of the castle glistened in the dark, mocking her, taunting her with their safety. James could die out here if she didn't do something and fast.

She placed her hands on his chest, just above where his heart would be and pumped. Once. Twice. Three times. She put her mouth over his and breathed out, blowing air. His lungs inflated beneath her shaking hands. She pumped her hands again. Once. Twice. Three times. She breathed air into his mouth again.

"C'mon Potter," She muttered anxiously.

Lily repeated the procedure, this time tears brimming her eyes as she put her face so close to his, trying desperately to revive him. He didn't move. She repeated it again, her tears spilling openly onto his face and chest, only to be washed away by the tumultuous rain pounding down on them.

Her hope was fading but she wouldn't give up. She couldn't. She repeated it once more. James's head tipped back and he coughed, choking on the water he spat out. His body gave into his spasms, shaking and convulsing with each hacking cough.

With great effort, James propped himself up on his elbows, lifting up his torso. Lily pushed him upwards with a swift hand on his back, guiding him.

"Whoa, slow down," she said softly.

He looked at her, pleading with his eyes. Lily was confused. Then his eyes dropped down to his left hand and held out the book towards her, as a peace offering. It was soggy and battered from the elements and looked pathetic tightly gripped in his fingers but she could see the characteristic silver engravings glinting in the soft light emitted from the castle.

He watched as her eyes went from perplexed, to comprehending, to angry in a span of 2 seconds.

_Oh damn._

Lily swung her hand back and smacked him –hard.

"What the hell has gotten into you?" She screeched. "You could have died you, half-witted dumkoff!" James was fairly sure that was German. "You scared me half to death! I swear that if you didn't just nearly drown I would strangle you with my bare hands, bring you back to life and bloody kill you again!" The roar of the wind seemed to subside to allow her to rage at him.

Just as abruptly as she began, she lunged at him like a wildcat, twisting her arms around his neck and leaning into him. He could hear her irregular breathing and feel her pounding heartbeat against his chest. But all too soon, she wrenched herself away, her face still resembling a furious lion and smacked him again with equal force. This time on the top of his head.

James clutched his noggin in pain. "Ouch! That hurt!"

"Gee, you think?" Lily was livid.

For a split second, her expression softened. She suddenly pulled him towards her again, cradling his head awkwardly against her chest. This time, James could clearly hear her heartbeat pitter-pattering. Lily let go of him and he fell back down, surprised.

Amused and entertained, he watched her wearily as he propped himself up. Thinking…

She opened her mouth to rant and rave but found she could not.

James had firmly pressed his lips against hers. His eyes were closed and his hands were tangled through her wet hair holding the back of her head, keeping her tightly in place. Lily froze.

James faltered and opened his eyes, pulling away slightly. The tips of their cold noses were touching as he bored his eyes into hers. He didn't move. Her breath came out in short gasps and he was sure his were even more ragged. They stared at each other for what seemed like forever.

"Thank you for saving my life," he whispered.

Lily grabbed his face with both hands and brought him crashing against her parted lips. James could swear that he felt her smile against him. Whether that was true or not, his lips surely upturned in delight. He fisted his fingers in her hair and pulled her closer to him. His lips pushed against hers like a starving man to food and she returned each kiss with her own. Her hot breath mingled with his, creating such a sensual taste in his mouth.

His eyes flew open when she tentatively traced the outline of his bottom lip with the tip of her tongue. It was hard to suppress the guttural groan that erupted from the back of his throat. Shutting his eyes and delving his own tongue into her mouth, he felt a lion swelling in his chest from the little moans she emitted. _I'm doing that to her._ Her hands had entwined themselves into his unruly hair as his own slid down to her back, pulled her closer, pressing her body tightly against his.

Surely, this was paradise, he thought.

The sudden boom of thunder yanked their faces apart, startling them. James lost his balance and fell onto his back, pulling Lily with him. She lay almost completely on top of him. Flushed from their heated kiss and their current predicament, Lily giggled nervously. Her lips curved in an unangelic manner as she raked her hands against his heaving chest, leaving a trail of fire in their wake.

_Merlin, she's going to kill me._

"Don't tell me the great James Potter is scared of a little thunder?" She teased her voice soft.

"Why?" James replied gruffly, his own voice husky and strained, trying his best to regain his composure. "Would it turn you on if it did?"

He pulled her down again, kissing her red lips with all the force he could muster. Years of banter, years of wanting lay in the minute space between them. She'd taken to curling a lock of his hair around her finger. Lily was truly being infuriating. She'd gently nipped his lips and he reprimanded her with a brusque kiss. He captured her tongue between his lips and sucked on it, watching with fascination as her eyes fluttered shut and a shudder roll down her body.

He released it and attacked her exposed neck, licking her jaw line, from her left ear, all the way down to the base of her neck. He placed open mouthed kisses on the sensitive skin just beneath her ear, angling her head so that he could make out her visibly pounding vein. She gripped his hair tighter. Probably too tight, she had thought, but was pleased when it only served to urge him on.

He trailed further down her neck and pushed aside the offending collar of her shirt to kiss the top of her breast. Lily's head slanted backwards. Her eyes shut tightly. Her mouth parted as she gasped a low moan. Dark red hair, wet from the rain slapped onto her back. James smiled wickedly against her skin and bit softly, but strong enough to make her shout in alarm.

The way she arched her body against him, the way she gripped his head against her, the way the sound of her voice cracked when she responded to the things he was doing to her…

It was with all his strength that he resisted flipping her on her back and ravishing her senseless, then and there.

_**Crack.**_ The sky was momentarily lit up. James pulled away to look down at the red head in his arms. Lily looked up at the hazel eyes that held her. They were both breathing heavily. Her lips were slightly puffy but her eyes seemed to burn bright. Raindrops fell lighter now, over their bodies.

_**Boom.**_ Thunder rolled piercingly and a gust of wind blew against them. Lily flinched at the sound and pulled James closer. He grinned, suddenly grateful for thunder. Her eyes glanced at the brightly lit castle quickly before looking back at James. She kissed him, softer this time and spoke against his lips. Her eyes were half open.

"We should go back before people worry," she breathed.

He shut his eyes and shook his head. "Don't want to."

Laughing, Lily untangled herself from his arms and scrambled to her feet, holding out a hand to pull him up. James bent down and picked up the worn journal from the muddy ground. He brushed off the wet blade of grass and offered it to her sheepishly. She took it with an apologetic smile. There was a perceptible change in the atmosphere as the downpour of rain seemed to subside, before it eventually stopped altogether. The wind grazed their cold, wet skins. Lily shivered. James enveloped her in a hug.

"To keep you warm so you don't get hypothermia," James explained rather audaciously.

Lily just nodded mockingly, playing along. They stood, holding each other by the banks of the dark lake as the tempest of a sky quieted down.

"James?" she murmured into his neck. He was rocking her gently from side to side.

"Hmm?" He was distracted by her small warm hands tracing circles on his back.

"If we walk into the common room dripping wet, won't there be awkward questions?"

"We could always tell them, in detail, about how we snogged the life out of each other in the rain. They'd be too stunned to ask anymore. It's a rather fetching idea, don't you think?" His voice was light and merry, in contradiction to his serious expression.

"Potter!" Lily shouted indignantly and cuffed his shoulder. She yanked herself away.

His booming laugh seemed to reverberate in her chest as he pulled her back against him. Calming, somehow.

"Kidding, love," he assured her. "Well then I guess a pit stop to the Room of Requirements is in order."

"The room of what?" Pulling herself away to get a good look at his face, she checked to see if he was pulling her leg.

"You mean you don't know?" James was genuinely surprised. "There's a room on the 7th floor corridor that transforms itself into whatever you need it to be." He paused. "Hence, the name."

Lily shook her head, shaking out drops of water in the process.

With an expression of mock admiration, placing a finger to her chin and hand to her waist, she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why, James Potter is knowledgeable of something other than quidditch? I would never have known!" Her teasing smile lit up her face in the gloom.

He grinned and curled an arm around her waist, holding her by his side as they made the trek back up to the castle, not caring about the fact that they were both soaked to the bone and as muddy as the ground.

"Darling, it's like I said," he informed her matter-of-factly. "There are plenty of things you don't know about me."

_Fin._

**An Author's Little Memo to Beloved Readers:**

(because Author's Note is so overrated)

I really went through this a couple more times than necessary but I'm sure that there are grammatical and spelling mistakes that I didn't realize. Sorry about that.

And the part where Lily says "I didn't know you could read" was completely and shamelessly stolen from Draco's line in the Chamber of Secrets movie. *giggles* I just couldn't resist.

Hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are very much welcomed and I shall reply to each and every one. Pinkie Promise.

xoxo,  
-Skye

**Apr. 12, 2010 – Another Author's Note:**

I was reading the reviews and I just wanted to say thank you so so much. :D

I've re-edited the story, rephrased some passages, and added a few in. Don't worry, I didn't change the initial outline of the story, I just clarified some concepts.

p.s. If I haven't replied to your review, and you reviewed my story like months and months ago, I am so so very sorry :S I haven't been on this site in AGES. Forgive me?

Lovelovelove,

-Skye


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